Opposite Ends: Poorest Treasure
by Higuchimon
Summary: Shingo likes getting birthday presents. Who doesn't? But this birthday present has an attitude.
1. Chapter 1

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 1-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 500  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** Shingo likes getting birthday presents. Who doesn't? But this birthday present has an attitude.

* * *

"A birthday present?" Shingo barely twitched at the words. It wouldn't be the first birthday present that he'd ever had. In point of fact, he could look around his room right now and see all sorts of birthday presents: fine clothing, magnificent jewelry, rare books, carvings of scented woods, priceless ornaments of all kinds. His only thought on yet another present revolved around where he could put it.

Oh, well. There had to be a space somewhere. Sooner or later all of this would be cleaned out and he could start gathering things again. Shingo _liked_ things. Things meant people gave them to him or that he'd bought them himself – that he'd seen it it and wanted it and brought it home with him. Usually once he lost interest in it, he ended up stuffing it out of sight somewhere and going on to whatever next caught his fancy. He couldn't imagine this present, whatever it was, being any different.

He waved one hand with all the regality that he could muster. "All right, give it to me."

Perhaps it would be something very special. It was, after all, his sixteenth birthday and he was, after all, Prince of the Realm. Maybe not as high up on the social rankings as the Imperial Clan of Akabas, but definitely worth something impressive. His father told him that many, many times over the years.

The servant ducked their head and scampered out of the room. Shingo tried not to get distracted, though that new dart set that someone sent did seem very attractive.

"I told you, let go of me!" A strange voice snapped without warning. Shingo frowned; new people weren't allowed in this part of the palace. Only those who'd been through a very strict and severe process to determine that they weren't going to harm him or his father in any way crossed through those doors: or those who could be enspelled to make certain they wouldn't do that.

"Hush now," the servant's voice admonished whoever the stranger was. "It's time for you to meet His Royal Highness Prince Shingo of the clan of Sawatari."

"I don't _want_ to meet him!" The reply came quick and fast and Shingo didn't think he'd ever met someone in his entire life who didn't want to meet him.

On his feet a heartbeat later, turning towards the door, all thought of playing darts out of his mind, he wanted to have _words_ with whoever thought they could come into _his_ palace and not want to meet _him_.

The servant stepped in, dragging a struggling figure with him, one that wore what had probably started off as a decent outfit but now was rumpled and a bit dusty, except for the golden collar around their neck. Their back was turned towards Shingo so he couldn't see what they looked like and they pounded on the servant's arm relentlessly.

"Prince Shingo, I present to you the gift from your father: your own personal slave, Yuugo."

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Someone is going to end up with bruises. Who might that be?


	2. Chapter 2

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 2-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 1,000  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.

* * *

_Spoiled brat._

Even before they met face to face, Yuugo thought that about Prince Shingo. Granted, he thought that about merchants, nobles, most priests, and virtually everyone who had a title of some kind in front of their names.

He really didn't like priests. Priests were why he'd never see Rin again.

And he liked this guy even less. He stomped as hard as he could on the servant's foot, pulling himself around with the intent of punching the stuck-up brat-prince in the face and jumping out the window. From there he wasn't at all sure of where he'd go or what he'd do, but he figured he would work that out when the time came.

Only when he had his fist heading right for Shingo's spoiled stuck-up face, every muscle in his body stopped moving. He tried again, but still nothing happened. And again. And again, until he stumbled back, breathing hard and confused.

The servant coughed politely, addressing his words toward Shingo.

"As you can see, Your Highness, the collar around his neck prevents him from causing any sort of damage to you or your lord-father or anyone else you instruct. It will also ensure that he obeys all of your commands. He will be the perfect slave for you."

Yuugo wondered what it would take to get rid of that collar. He tugged at it harder and harder, but to no avail whatsoever.

Prince Shingo stared at him. As far as Yuugo was concerned, he looked like the greediest, most arrogant boy of his own age that Yuugo had ever seen in his life. He had muscles – probably gained from fancy polite sparring and gentleman lessons on how to fight by _rules_ and with _honor_ instead of actually getting something done. He also didn't look as if he'd ever missed a meal in his life.

Yuugo knew what it was like to go without food, sometimes to the point he'd grayed out. That was what got him here in the first place.

Shingo circled him, eyes flicking up and down, making little noises under his breath as if he'd never seen anyone like Yuugo in his entire life. Yuugo glared at him.

Then he reached out and felt Yuugo's arm, as casually as he could, without so much as asking permission. "Whoa. He's like a _stick_!"

Yuugo started to open his mouth, but no words came out. He growled; he'd been able to talk before this! So now what?

"Now that he's yours – and you've touched him to activate that part of the spell on the collar – he won't be able to speak unless you give permission," the servant told the prince. "He won't do anything except breathe without your orders, even. Train him right and even if the collar ever gets removed, he'll obey you."

Yuugo could've sworn that he saw the prince's eyes light up in glee at that. Of course. Jerks like this always liked being able to boss someone else around.

Life sucked.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** What happened to Rin? You'll find out!


	3. Chapter 3

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 3-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 1,500  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

Shingo circled, poking here and there, amazed at the thinness. Didn't he _eat?_ Before he'd thought about it, he asked that.

"Of course I eat! When I've got food!" The slave stared at him, eyes bright as stars and gleaming with rage that Shingo didn't understand. What did he have to be upset about?

Oh. Well. Better get that taken care of.

"I won't have you beaten unless you did something to deserve it," Shingo promised, "so all you have to do is exactly what I tell you to do and you'll be fine. And since you've got that collar on, that won't be a problem, right?"

Yuugo stared at him. Yuugo kept on staring at him, as if he'd never heard something so ridiculous in his entire life.

_He's probably pretty new at this._ Shingo barely noticed that the servant departed, leaving the two of them alone. He settled down into his favorite chair and pointed Yuugo to the nearest sofa. "Sit there," he ordered. "I don't know what I'm going to need you for right now, but I'll figure it out."

He got a giddy little thrill at seeing Yuugo go over and sit down there, his shoulders tight and his fists clenched. Shingo leaned back, lifting his legs to rest on his table, and stared at his newest possession, thinking.

"You said you ate when you had food. Why wouldn't you have food?"

Yuugo stared at him. "Because sometimes we don't have the money to buy food. What did you expect?"

Shingo tilted his head. "Why wouldn't you have money? Don't your parents have jobs?" He had a vague mental sketch that people who didn't live in the palace had all sorts of jobs. He wasn't sure of what they all were, but he'd heard stories about people who took up all kinds of professions. Then their children did the same thing after them, and so on and so forth.

Shingo didn't get out much. He'd never had a need to or the desire to.

Yuugo kept on staring at him before he answered. "I don't have parents. Rin and I _never_ had parents."

No sooner did he say that than he tensed, fingers clutching at the pillow he sat on. Shingo leaned forward, grinning for a second.

"Who's Rin? Your sister?" Didn't poor people have _lots_ of siblings? He was pretty sure he'd read that somewhere too. And now he had someone sitting right here who could tell him exactly what it was really like to be poor.

Not that Yuugo would ever be poor again. Not so long as he belonged to Shingo, anyway.

"My best friend. She might as well be my sister, but we weren't." Yuugo said, every word dragged reluctantly out of him. "At least, she was, until the priests got hold of her."

Shingo wished he had some sort of snack. This was _fascinating_. "What did the priests do?" Had she been executed? Or worse? Could it be worse? How?

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I told you that you would find out what happened to Rin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 4-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 2,000  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

No. Yuugo didn't _want_ to tell this spoiled, pampered, sheltered, _**soft**_ prince who sat there wrapped in silk and satin and jewels, who lounged with his legs up, relaxed without a care in the world, asking questions that he had no right to get the answers to, about Rin.

But the collar and the spells on the collar didn't give him the option of refusing. He'd already said too much just by saying her name. Now more words spilled out of him.

"They took her to the High Temple in Miami City. They chose her as one of the Shards of Ray." Yuugo's hands twitched, remembering that day all too well. "And I'm never going to see her again."

Shingo's feet hit the floor as he straightened up. "Seriously? A Shard of Ray? You've got to be _so_ proud of her! That's the greatest honor _ever_! It's almost more than being _royalty_!" He shook his head in disbelief. "She's never going to want for anything as long as she lives. She'll have everything. All the best food and clothes and jewels, and she'll be guarded day and night by the finest warriors in all the realms!"

Yuugo would have gotten up and strangled him if he could have. "And I'll never see her again." Didn't this jerk understand _anything_?

"Don't worry about it," Shingo said. "She won't be worried about you."

"What?" Yuugo ached to get up and shake some sense into the brat, but without orders, he wasn't able to move. "Of course she is!"

"No, she's not. Shards of Ray are given a special treatment when they're brought to the temple – once it's done, they don't remember their past at all. They're taught all the traditions and stories and everything else that goes into being a Shard and all the rest of it would just clog their heads up. So the priests take it all away."

With every word that fell from his mouth, Yuugo wanted to find a way to get to Rin and take her somewhere safe, far away from those priests. Shingo kept on talking, as if he didn't have any idea of how deep each word dug into Yuugo's heart.

"She's a Shard of Ray now. She's not Rin anymore. You should be proud that you had the chance to know her." For a second, Shingo looked towards him. "I knew someone who became a Shard of Ray. Her name was Yuzu. When she was fourteen, the priests took her away. One of them told me all about it, though. How the Shards are protected and taken care of and it's _wonderful_ for them."

Yuugo opened his mouth, ready to ask if Shingo had a single brain in his head. But the words wouldn't come out. He hadn't been asked a question, he realized, and without that, he couldn't say a word.

Shingo didn't notice. Yuugo wasn't surprised. "Well, you don't have to worry about anything else ever again."

_I hate you so much._

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I will go into more detail on the girls in another story, another time. This is for Shingo and Yuugo and them starting to get to know each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 5-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 2,500  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

Shingo drummed his fingers on his table for a few seconds before a wide grin split itself across his face. "First thing you're going to need is some decent clothes." He glanced at Yuugo; he knew that the royal servants wore livery but he hadn't paid that much attention to any personal slaves that his father had.

He wasn't even sure if his father _had_ any. So that probably meant he could make up his own mind about this.

Yuugo looked as if he wanted to say something. Shingo didn't ask; his entire focus taken up right now with thoughts of a decent outfit. After all, the look of his possessions reflected on him, so the better that Yuugo looked, the better that _he_ looked.

"No, the first thing is a bath!" Shingo clapped his hands and one of the servants poked her head in at once.

"Highness?"

Shingo waved at Yuugo. "This is my new slave. Take him to get washed up while I figure out what I want him to wear."

"Yes, Highness." The servant bobbed her head. Yuugo didn't move and Shingo frowned.

"Go with her and get washed up," he ordered. "Come back here when you're done." A sudden thought crossed his mind. "Put a towel on before you get here. Or something decent anyway."

He waved one hand and Yuugo headed away, face twisted up into an expression that Shingo hadn't ever seen before. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to see it again, either.

_He's probably just not sure of how good he has it right now,_ Shingo decided. If he'd really been all that poor, then being thrust into the lap of luxury had to be confusing. Shingo wasn't at all sure if he could've managed it the other way – to go from his rightful position at the top of the food chain to something less than the dirt under one's feet.

Clothes. That was what he needed to figure out. Something that would look decent on Yuugo and still reflect the fact that he belonged to Shingo.

Well, there wasn't that much of a need to rack his brain over it. He clapped his hands again and sent a servant with a request to the royal tailor with his instructions. Another servant got sent for a few new outfits that would do to cover Yuugo until those proper uniforms were made.

_He'll probably have to be measured. And I want him to put some weight on, too._ Shingo's stomach rumbled and he sent a third servant out to get some lunch.

It wasn't that hard to figure all of this out. Yuugo belonged to him, so Yuugo would be taken care of _by_ him. That meant decent clothes and plenty of food. The collar meant Yuugo wouldn't be able to disobey him, so that would be easy.

Shingo hadn't ever taken care of anyone in his entire life. He'd always been the one being taken care of. But he could manage.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I have so very many plans for the future!


	6. Chapter 6

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 6-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 3,000  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

_Where in blazes am I?_ Yuugo stared all around himself as he scrubbed. He'd taken baths before – they weren't very good baths and he didn't often have access to a lot of hot water – but never had he been in a bathing area like _this_.

Marble walls, tinted in soft shades of blue and gold, rose up all around him. He wasn't in a bathtub, not like what he'd used back home. Instead, a broad pool spread out in the center of the room, the water heated by some means he didn't know, with a selection of soaps that baffled him. He'd picked one more or less at random that didn't give off one of those fruity scents and got to work using it.

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to take a bath but the command remained firm in his bones. So he bathed.

It had taken about twenty minutes to get down here. He thought that was about how long it took; he didn't have one of those fancy personal timekeepers that the high-ranking types had. But it took a while and it certainly hadn't been down the hall. More like down _a_ hall, down a flight of stairs, through a mass of corridors, down another set of stairs, and finally into a room where the servant told him to take his clothes off before he'd been shown into this room.

Apparently being told to take a bath meant that he had to take his clothes off, since his hands moved to do that before he could even think about refusing.

Now he sat in hot water up to his neck, busily scrubbing at every speck of his skin, ducking his head under the water to get his hair clean.

Technically he hadn't been 'ordered' to do that but the thought of actually washing all over turned out to be far too tempting to resist.

Rin would have loved this. She got so dirty when they worked that what little hot water they could save up went to getting her clean when it wasn't cooking what food they managed to get.

_Rin's still there. Somewhere. And I'm going to find her._

Yuugo didn't know how but being sure about how or if something could be done hadn't ever stopped him before. He didn't see any reason why it should stop him now. He'd do it for Rin's sake.

He lost track of how many times he soaped up, scrubbed, rinsed, and repeated. He only stopped when he was so clean he worried he might start to slip on the floor. What made it more annoying was the start of a _tug_ to return to Prince Shingo and the collar warming.

He had to obey his orders, which included wearing something decent. He eyed a towel that looked more than big enough to cover him, before the servant stepped back in, a robe folded over one arm.

"Here," she said, barely giving his nudity a glance. "Let's go."

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Shingo and Yuugo both have a lot to learn.


	7. Chapter 7

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 7-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 3,500  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

By the time Yuugo came back - _much_ cleaner and smelling of one of Shingo's personal favorite soaps – the food had also been brought in, set on his favorite table, and Shingo drummed his heels against the floor waiting.

"The tailor wants to measure you tomorrow," Shingo said as soon as Yuugo entered. "I've got some old clothes that you can wear until he gets your new uniforms ready. They're being cut down to fit you." Shingo beamed proudly at having thought of that.

He turned to take a long look at Yuugo now. He'd seen him before, of course, but he hadn't really paid much attention to him, being more fascinated by just how thin Yuugo was.

Now he looked. Now he blinked several times, then poked at the freshly cleaned mess of hair on Yuugo's head.

"Why do you have a banana on your head?" Shingo wondered, prodding at the streak of golden hair across Yuugo's head.

Yuugo jerked away. Or at least he twitched and Shingo thought he wanted to jerk away.

"It's not a banana!" Yuugo managed to answer. "It's my hair!"

"Looks like a banana," Shingo replied. _Soft..._ he mused for a second before he turned to the table and chairs. "Come on, let's eat."

Yuugo started obediently to the second chair before he glanced at Shingo. Shingo could see the desire to ask a question there but the collar kept his voice tamed.

_That could get annoying. Okay. Let's fix that._ "If you need to ask me something, you can ask it. If you just want to, ask me and I'll tell you if you can." He didn't want to keep on answering all sorts of annoying questions.

Yuugo's features scrunched up for a second before they cleared and he asked, "Why are you letting me eat with you? I didn't think _slaves_ could eat with… other people."

"Because I said you could. What if I need you for something and you're off eating? Besides, aren't you hungry?"

Yuugo's stomach answered that question before he could even open his mouth, delivering a very loud and savage rumble. Shingo snickered and then settled down in his own chair.

"Go on. Eat. Drink." It would take an hour or so for the old clothes to be fixed to the point Yuugo could wear them.

There was still so much that Shingo had to deal with since he had someone new to take care of. He needed to have a place for Yuugo to sleep – there was a spare room that could be fixed up. It wasn't as gorgeous as his room but it had a good bed and a little furniture so it would do.

He'd get it done. He would have to thank his father for this. Yuugo would thank him for it too, eventually.

But that brought up a thought. "How did you get here? I mean, were you born a slave or what?"

Yuugo stopped eating and stared at him. "No. I wasn't."

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Backstory? Are we going to have backstory? Maybe a little.


	8. Chapter 8

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 8-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 4,000  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

Yuugo's words came out hurt and bitter. "I was looking for Rin. I knew she was out there somewhere. I'm not even sure where the Great Temple to Ray _is_." His fingers tightened around the fork. He'd never used a fork before – he'd seen them but never used them.

Shingo just kept staring. The collar and spell wrenched more words out of him.

"I tried to talk to a couple of priests. They barely listened to me – just told me that I should be grateful and work really hard to get a good job."

His eyes prickled. That happened a lot when he thought about Rin and what happened to her. But he fought through the pain every time.

"So I kept on trying. I talked to anyone I could who knew where they would take her but most of them refused to tell me anything." He stared down at the food and then jerked his head back up. "I didn't have time to get food anywhere. I just – took what I could find. Anywhere I could find it."

His hand wasn't shaking. He told it to not and he thought it listened. He kept on talking.

"Most of that was in the district where we grew up. Everyone there understood. A lot of them felt sorry for me and Rin both." Yuugo did not shake his head. The words tumbled out almost of their own will now. He could not help but listen to himself talk.

"I heard that one of the Shards of Ray would be passing through the area to bless everyone or something. I didn't really hear it well enough to be sure."

Oh, how he remembered that, so very clearly. It had been a wet, soggy kind of day, and he'd made his way through the streets to where it was said the Shard would be. Part of him hoped fiercely it would be Rin and he could get her out of there and they'd run off somewhere together.

But when he got there, there were at least two dozen guards, all in livery that he didn't recognize, and he just barely managed to get a glimpse of the Shard of Ray as she talked to the crowd that thronged about.

It wasn't Rin. The Shard had her face – all Shards of Ray had the same face – but her hair spilled down her shoulders in shades of dark purple and pink eyes so very unlike Rin's short green hair and beautiful orange eyes.

_Maybe she'll know something,_ Yuugo thought, and made his most foolhardy decision ever – forcing his way through the crowd and lay hands on the Shard of Ray.

He'd gotten close enough to touch the hem of her robes and nothing more, mostly because he'd taken the guards by surprise. His fingers touched the robe and the guards yanked him backwards brutally, shackling his wrists, and removing him from the area without even a chance to defend himself.

She'd not even noticed him.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Yes, that Shard of Ray was Ruri. Is Ruri? Might have once been Ruri?


	9. Chapter 9

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 9-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 4,500  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

"The leader of the guards decided that I needed to 'learn discipline'," Yuugo said, voice still flat and aching. Even Shingo could hear the pain there. "So I was fitted with this collar and sent to the slave market. That was -" He hesitated for a breath or two. "I think about six moons ago. I've been sold about three or four times since then."

The first thought that flashed through Shingo's mind was that he didn't want a _used_ slave, especially not one that clearly hadn't learned to obey his master. The next thought, following hard on the heels, was that at least Yuugo had some sort of experience. That would be a lot better.

"You're not going to be sold again," Shingo reassured him, turning his own attention back to his food. "At least not as long as you don't get me mad."

Shingo prided himself on being easy to please. Yuugo might have to work to learn the finer details, but it couldn't be that hard. Just do as he was told, no matter what, and that would be it.

Yuugo started eating again too, shoulders hunched and focus all on his food. Shingo finished his quickly and lounged back in his chair, enjoying the feeling of good food packed in his stomach. He picked over a few of his favorite sweets, trying to decide which one he wanted the most right now, before a polite knock came at the door.

"Go answer that," Shingo ordered absently. "You're supposed to answer doors for me. Or knock on them when I want them knocked."

He picked out one of the sweets and nibbled on it as Yuugo went to the door. One of the tailor's servants entered in a heartbeat later, with a small pile of clothes that had once been Shingo's, now remade. Not much needed to be done to get them ready, just removing all of the silver trim and any extra frills and furbelows that had been sewn onto them in the first place.

"Pick out one and go put it on," Shingo instructed, waving a hand. "Those should be about the right size. Maybe a bit big."

Shingo didn't pay attention to anything other than his sweet right now. Caramel and honey with chopped nuts and a tasty glaze, it broke over his tongue in purest delight. He made a note to have more of these sent to him; perhaps they could be kept around regularly.

Something moved and he looked up to see Yuugo standing there. Shingo blinked a time or two at the sight. Yuugo wore dark blue pants and shirt of the same shade, with a lighter blue vest over it, and a pair of dyed blue leather boots that came up to his knees.

"That'll do," Shingo said, grabbing for a drink, his throat unexpectedly dry and scratchy. He gestured the tailor's servant to depart and scrambled for another piece of candy.

Things were going to be different around here.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** One more to go! Setting up of the major plot almost done.


	10. Chapter 10

**Series:** Opposite Ends||**Title:** Poorest Treasure  
**Characters:** Shingo, Yuugo  
**Chapters:** 10-10||**Chapter Words:** 500||**Total Words:** 5,000  
**Genre:** Fantasy||**Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Arc-V Aus: Section G1: drabble novel; Valentine's Day To White Day Advent 2015, day 11, write about a birthday, marriage, or birth; Include the Word Boot Camp, #30, sofa  
**Notes:** This was written for SilvorMoon's birthday. I've finished it all so will be posting once a week.  
**Summary:** As a prince, Shingo's had the finest education around. But that doesn't mean that he still can't learn a few things.

* * *

Yuugo lay on a bed so plush that he didn't think he'd fall asleep all night. He wasn't _comfortable_ here. But he couldn't get up out of here either. Shingo told him to lay down and so he laid down.

_At least he didn't tell me to go to sleep._ If he had, the collar would have put him to sleep as fast as possible. He knew that the prince probably meant that regardless, but there was the loophole and there was Yuugo slipping through it.

He didn't like this bed and he didn't like the room, either. It was too big – at least twice the size of any room he'd ever had. He'd seen Prince Shingo's room and that had to be even bigger than this one was. The bed wasn't the only big thing here. There was a closet where a dozen or so outfits like the one he still had on hung neatly. The closet had more empty space than filled there.

A large desk took up another portion of the room, with books and papers and pens on it. Yuugo didn't understand most of what was on there. He'd stared at the books, wondering what it would be like to be able to read.

Not that he thought he'd be able to do that. Shingo hadn't said a thing about wanting him to read. He just opened doors and knocked on doors and carried things here and there and that sort of thing. He'd done it before, for those other people who'd owned him over the years.

_Not a whole lot makes me different from the servants. Nothing I can think of anyway._

Well. Sort of. Servants could save up their money or even get a retirement benefit of some sort and go to live independent lives where no one else would tell them what to do. That wasn't something that he could ever do, unless and until someone set him free, taking the collar off of his neck.

Yuugo closed his eyes. The bed hadn't gotten any more comfortable but he couldn't think of anything else that he could do. He was a lot more tired than he'd thought that he would be. Sleeping _did_ sound pretty good.

But the bed was too soft, too warm and the air was too thick and scented with aromas that he didn't recognize and didn't like, and his stomach remained full of food that he'd barely liked eating and only had because he'd been too hungry to turn it down.

Slave markets didn't feed their wares all that well and definitely not all that often. At least some of the thinness that Shingo noticed reflected that.

_If he keeps feeding me like that, I'm going to get fat in no time._

Yuugo wasn't happy about anything. He hadn't been since the day Rin was taken.

Once again he promised that he'd find her. Until then, he would have to deal with Prince Shingo.

What a selfish, spoiled brat.

* * *

**The End**

**Notes:** So that's it for now. I have plans for how Shingo loses a lot of his selfish spoiledness and to develop the parts about Rin, Yuzu, Selena, Ruri, and the whole Shards of Ray thing. Plus, what are Yuuya, Yuuto, and Yuuri up to?


End file.
